Doctoral Degree Classifications 2014 HEFCE Comments
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Doctoral Degree Characteristics Draft for consultation December 2014 UK Quality Code for Higher Education, Part A: Setting and Maintaining Academic Standards Contents About this Statement ................................................................................................................ 1 How can I use this document? .............................................................................................. 1 Equality and diversity ............................................................................................................ 1 Relationship to legislation...................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 2 1 Context for and purposes of the doctorate ............................................................................. 3 1.1 Context for the doctorate ................................................................................................. 3 1.2 The doctorate in Europe and internationally .................................................................... 3 1.3 Purposes of the doctorate ............................................................................................... 4 2 Forms of doctorate and summary of award titles ................................................................... 5 2.1 UK doctoral awards and their main characteristics .......................................................... 5 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD or DPhil, used interchangeably) .............................................. 5 PhD by publication ............................................................................................................. 6 Integrated PhD (PhD) ........................................................................................................ 6 Professional and practice-based (or practitioner) doctorates ............................................. 7 2.2 Summary of doctoral award titles with brief details of each qualification .......................... 8 2.3 Higher doctorates .......................................................................................................... 11 2.4 Degree certificates ........................................................................................................ 12 3 Key features of the content, structure and delivery of doctoral degrees................................ 13 3.1 Overview ....................................................................................................................... 13 3.2 Entry to, and progression through, doctoral degrees ..................................................... 14 3.3 The research environment ............................................................................................ 14 3.4 The role of supervision .................................................................................................. 14 3.5 Training and professional development for doctoral candidates .................................... 15 4 Doctoral outcomes and assessment .................................................................................... 17 4.1 Progress and review...................................................................................................... 17 4.2 Submission ................................................................................................................... 17 4.3 Final assessment .......................................................................................................... 17 4.4 Credit for doctoral degrees ............................................................................................ 19 5 Characteristics of doctoral graduates ................................................................................... 20 Appendix: Members of the advisory groups for the Doctoral Degree Characteristics .............. 22 About this Statement This Doctoral Degree Characteristics statement was originally developed and published by QAA in 2011. This version forms the second edition. How can I use this document? This document is a statement about the characteristics of doctoral degrees. It describes the distinctive features of the doctorate in the UK. You may want to read this document if you are: involved in the design, delivery (especially supervision) and review of doctoral programmes a prospective student thinking about undertaking a doctorate an employer, to find out about the knowledge and skills generally expected of doctoral graduates. Those interested in and/or responsible for the design, delivery and review of doctoral programmes should read this document alongside the Quality Code, Chapter B11: Research Degrees. Current doctoral candidates and those interested in undertaking doctoral study may find it helpful to refer to The UK Doctorate: A Guide for Current and Prospective Candidates. 1 Explanations of unfamiliar terms used in this statement can be found in QAA's glossary. 2 QAA has also published a general guide to quality assurance in higher education. Equality and diversity This statement about the characteristics of doctoral degrees forms part of the Quality Code. The Quality Code embeds consideration of equality and diversity matters throughout. Promoting equality involves treating everyone with equal dignity and worth, while also raising aspirations and supporting achievement for people with diverse requirements, entitlements and backgrounds. An inclusive environment for learning anticipates the varied requirements of learners, and aims to ensure that all students have equal access to educational opportunities. Higher education providers, staff and students all have a role in, and responsibility for, promoting equality. Relationship to legislation Higher education providers are responsible for meeting the requirements of legislation and any other regulatory requirements placed upon them, for example by funding bodies. This statement does not interpret legislation nor does it incorporate statutory or regulatory requirements. Sources of information about other requirements and examples of guidance and good practice are signposted within this statement where appropriate. Higher education providers are responsible for how they use these resources. QAA takes no responsibility for the content of external websites. 1 The QAA glossary is available at: www.qaa.ac.uk/about-us/glossary 2 A general guide to quality assurance can be found at: www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality 1 Introduction Postgraduate degrees in the UK are diverse and wide ranging. Their purposes reflect both the interests and ambitions of students, and the traditions and needs of particular disciplines and professions. Postgraduate degrees variously enable students to: specialise in a particular subject or subjects; pursue research; develop professional specialisms; and undertake professional development. All postgraduate programmes have in common an emphasis on independent learning and autonomy, and an orientation toward knowledge at the forefront of the discipline. Postgraduate degrees at the highest level (doctoral) are distinguished by the requirement to create new knowledge, or apply existing knowledge in a new way. The doctoral degree is one the most well-known and well-established postgraduate qualifications in the UK. This statement provides a summary of UK doctoral degree characteristics, highlighting similarities and differences between doctoral degrees. It is intended as a practical reference text that provides information about UK doctoral programmes. Unlike the Quality Code, Chapter B11: Research Degrees, this document does not cover research master's degrees such as the MPhil, except where they form part of a doctoral programme. Section 2 of this statement provides a description of the broad types of doctoral awards, and their defining characteristics as individual qualifications. The descriptions are indicative rather than comprehensive and intended to give a flavour of what makes each award distinctive. All UK doctorates require the main focus of the candidate's work to be their contribution to knowledge in their discipline or field, through original research, or the original application of existing knowledge or understanding. Throughout this statement we refer to doctoral candidates rather than doctoral students. The consensus is that this is the most suitable term to use for this statement, even though in some higher education providers a distinction is made between 'student' and 'candidate' depending on whether the individual has successfully completed some kind of transfer of status stage. Some providers may use words other than 'student' or 'candidate', for example, 'researcher' to describe an individual undertaking a research degree. 2 1 Context for and purposes of the doctorate 1.1 Context for the doctorate For many years the PhD (or DPhil in some universities) was the main doctoral qualification in the UK. Since the early 1990s, the form of the UK doctorate has diversified, leading to differently structured degrees to accommodate the needs of a diverse student population. Doctorates other than the PhD have evolved, often in response to the needs of different professions, leading to the emergence of the titles 'professional' doctorate, and 'practice-based' or 'practice-led' doctorate. Initially, and beginning with the Doctor of Education (EdD), professional doctorates in different subjects had a